January 2017

2016 What a year ......

On 7th April 2016 I had major abdominal surgery which amongst other things resulted in the removal of a huge 8lb tumour from my pelvis. A few weeks later in May I was told it was cancerous and although successfully removed I would need to have 6 cycles of chemotherapy to back up the surgery. This news came as a complete shock, but once the doctors had dropped the bombshell I was determined to stay strong and not let it beat me.

I was very lucky to have a good friend who volunteered at 'The Hummingbird' ,who suggested that I popped in to meet everyone and to know that I had somewhere to go to if I needed support.

I met Mechelle and her wonderful team of volunteers and immediately felt safe and attended the centre on a regular basis. For anyone wanting to visit there is always someone on hand to listen and offer guidance and you can share as much or as little of your journey as you are personally happy with.

Tea, Coffee and snacks are always available, along with regular activities and treatments from trained therapists, all of which help with confidence boosting and general well being.

Every week there are crafting activities, something I had not done since school but thoroughly enjoyed - I've made cards, jewellery, wind chimes, bird boxes and even tried my hand at flower arranging.

When I lost all of my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes through the chemotherapy Debbie the centres Hair and Make up Artist was absolutely amazing and showed me how to create the illusion of brows and lashes with simple make up techniques. Now that my hair is coming back we are waiting for it to get a bit longer to try out some new styles. Having had long shoulder length hair before the treatment , I'm loving the new image that is starting to take shape.

For anyone of any age who has been affected by Cancer I would thoroughly recommend 'The Hummingbird' as somewhere to go to. I have met some lovely people, both guests and volunteers and it has helped me so much on my journey.

My chemotherapy ended in October, my hair is coming back and life is good. It's a New Year and a New Start - I'm phasing back into work, starting exercise again and looking forward to the future... Happy New Year Everyone and 2017 watch out - I'm coming to get you ;-)......

Thank you SO much Mechelle and all the hummingbirds - your part in my journey means the world to me!! xxxx